February  11,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
119 
men,  who,  huddled  up  in  greatcoats,  endeavoured  to  do  their  duty 
by  the  occasional  tootling  of  a  muffled  march. 
To  complete  a  dismal  picture  and  sharpen  the  point  of  the 
moral  one  instance  may  be  added  of  an  experience  which  was 
absolutely  startling.  “Beggars  must  not  be  choosers,”  and 
pecuniary  considerations  are  weighty  ones  to  a  society  with  a  light 
exchequer.  As  an  exhibitor  I  had  on  various  occasions  participated 
in  the  advantages  afforded  by  the  gratuitous  use  of  a  noble  building 
which  answered  the  purpose  very  well  indeed.  On  a  never-to  be- 
forgotten  day,  eager  to  escape  from  the  “madding  crowd”  and 
the  brassiest  of  brass  bands,  I  wandered  through  a  side  door  into 
regions  where  I  certainly  had  no  business  and  found  no  pleasure. 
Encountering  a  garrulous  official  connected  with  the  building, 
whose  desire  for  baksheesh — coupled  with  some  homage  paid  to 
Bacchus — had  overcome  his  discretion,  he  asked  with  a  maudlin 
air  of  mystery,  “Would  I  like  to  see  something?  If  so, 
come  along.”  So 
I  went  “  along,” 
and  saw  “  some¬ 
thing” — a  dozen 
“  somethings  ”  — 
which,  however 
necessary  in  the 
interests  of  sur¬ 
gical  science,  were 
ghastly  to  con¬ 
template  in  juxta¬ 
position  to  i  he 
gay  and  festive 
scene  of  a  flower 
show.  Sickened 
and  sad  I  returned 
to  the  halls  of 
life  and  gaiety 
after  plenishing 
the  palm  of  the 
beery  janitor, who, 
turning  the  key 
on  this  chamber 
of  horrors,  kept 
out,  I  sincerely 
hope,  further  tres¬ 
passers. 
Yes  ;  undoubt¬ 
edly  we  do  want 
suitable  temples 
to  enshrine  our 
gardening  handi¬ 
work  when  occa¬ 
sion  demands  ; 
and  to  come  direct 
to  the  question 
one  might  infer 
that  such  things 
are  possible  of 
attainment,  and 
of  all  places  one 
might,  moreover, 
reasonably  expect 
London  to  lead 
the  way.  If  we 
cannot  have  what 
we  would  like — 
the  luxuriant 
temple — and  can  never  like  what  we  have  to  resort  to,  why 
not  consider  the  actually  necessary  ere  all  hope  is  abandoned  of 
immediate  progress  in  thia  direction  ?  Given  a  suitable  site — 
or  the  most  suitable  attainable — what  then  ?  Something  to 
make  it  independent  of  the  weather.  Canvas  being  out  of  the 
question,  the  next  suitable  material  suggesting  itself  for  the 
purpose  is  timber  and  glass,  or  iron  and  glass — a  winter  garden, 
in  fact,  not  rising  in  palatial  domes,  for  such  apparently  are 
only  practicable  on  paper.  But  fatal  objections  have  been  raised 
against  the  use  of  glass  in  a  smoke-laden  atmosphere.  Might 
not  this  be  overcome  in  a  ridge  and  furrow  roof  by  having 
the  furrows  (gutters  supported  on  the  columns)  of  sufficient 
width  to  allow  freedom  of  access  for  cleansing  the  blackamoor 
periodically  ?  To  repeat  the  idea,  simply  covering  in  our 
imaginary  area  on  the  Paxtonian  principle  of  ridge  and  furrow 
with  the  necessary  accompaniments  of  heating  and  ventilation, 
with  no  pretensions  to  the  palatial  and  no  aspirations  but  the 
essential. 
“What  an  ugly  thing  this  horticultural  hall  would  be”  is 
remarked.  Could  be,  undoubtedly,  with  any  attempts  at  elabora¬ 
tion  of  detail ;  bat  simply  adapted  to  the  purpose  less  all  pretensions 
to  anything  else,  there  is  the  necessary — there  is,  in  fact,  beauty 
in  all  things  according  to  their  fitness  of  purpose.  Certainly  you 
could  not  drop  this  glass  market  by  the  side  of  St.  Paul’s,  and 
I  am  not  competent  to  say  where  it  could  be  placed — or,  in  fact, 
could  not  be  p*aced — for  such  would  not  enter  into  competition 
with  aby  stately  buildings  or  any  preconceived  plans  which 
seem  fated  to  fall  through.  Whatever  plans  are  projected  the 
main  object  is,  of  course,  the  first  consideration,  the  next  being 
some  catering  for  the  public  taste  in  due  allowance  of  space  for 
the  musical  adjunct,  which  appears  to  be  indispensable,  many  of 
our  patrons  including  those  “  who  to  the  show  repair,  not  for 
the  doctrine  but  the  music  there.” 
to  draw  the  line,  and  not  house 
of  varieties. 
As  a  permanent  place  for  its 
Here,  I  think,  we  may  venture 
our  twin  goddessei  in  a  palace 
Fig.  28. — LiELIO-CATTLEYA  NYSA  SUPERBA. 
purpose  we  may  suppose  that 
various  details, 
such  as  planting 
the  supporting 
pillars  with  trail¬ 
ing  or  bush  plants 
of  a  semi-hardy 
nature,  would  be 
a  welcome  addi¬ 
tion  to  the  staging 
effects  of  compe¬ 
tition,  and  even 
such  things  as 
Lily-decked  pools 
or  fountains  with 
rock  work  mar¬ 
gins  would  be  a 
pleasing  feature, 
neither  costly  nor 
irrelevant.  Under 
the  roof  of  such  a 
building  our  often 
foreshortened  »x- 
hibitions  might 
well  be  prolonged 
eo  far  as  plants 
and  plant  groups 
are  concerned,  for 
the  admirable 
taste,  skill,  and 
labour  expended 
upon  them  by 
exhibitors  in  the 
latter  section  is 
of  sufficient  edu¬ 
cational  value  to 
warrant  a  reason¬ 
able  extension, 
instead  of  the 
rapid  dismantling 
after  a  few  hours’ 
display. 
I  am  tempted 
to  show  a  hundred 
minor  accessories 
which  crop  up 
mentally, but  have 
not  the  slightest 
doubt  that  a 
hundred  major  objections  would  spring  up  side  by  side  to  choke 
them  at  their  birth.  Anyway,  our  wants  are  pretty  clear,  though 
this  be  but  another  of  those  Chateaux  d’Espagne  erected  by 
Freemason.  _ _ 
Tea  Rose  Enchantress. — I  am  somewhat  surprised  to  find  myself 
saying  on  page  91  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  that  Mr.  W  m.  1  »u!  s 
latest  and  perhaps  most  beautiful  introduction,  entitled  Enchantress,  is 
“  worthy  at  least  of  China  extraction.”  If  the  word  “  partly  is  substi¬ 
tuted  for  “  worthy  ”  my  readers  will  understand  better  the  meaning  1 
intended  to  convey.  I  understand  that  Enchantress,  which  I  admired 
greatly  when  I  saw  it  for  the  first  time  at  Waltham  Cross  two  years 
ago,  is  the  result  of  cross-fertilisation  between  a  Tea  and  a  China  Rose, 
a  fact  which  may  account  for  its  wonderful  perpetuality  ""A 
floriferousness.  I  hope  this  is  only  the  bright  beginning 
of  interesting  hybrids  combining  the  characteristics  of 
race 
and  rare 
of  a  new 
the  Chinas 
and  the  Teas.  Such  Roses,  by  reason  of  their  fragrance,  their  deli¬ 
cate  beauty,  and  extremely  free- flowering  capabilities,  would  be  of 
the  greatest  value  for  garden  decoration.  I  hope,  therefore, 
Enchantress  may  have  many  successors  of 
David  R.  Williamson. 
a  similar 
that 
description. — 
